Internet law
The Internet has always been known as a lawless frontier town since its inception. Ideas, from the tame to the scandalous and wicked, are traded about. You could find near anything from a recipe to how to build pipe bombs all at your fingertips.
It grew from BBS and telnets, and whatever fancy name for chat rooms to webpages, to blogs to this monolith of freedom without the restrictions of location or ability. As long as you had a computer and Internet, you were golden. Over time, even the poorest could either own or find access to a computer making this place accessible to nearly everyone.
ET Sequel: "ET-X" (Extended Trailer)
I remember E.T. as a kid. Everyone was all over that movie, with its pimping out of these tiny Reese’s Pieces, this adorable alien that just wanted to phone home, a gaggle of kids wanting to get him there and the adults around him that just didn’t get it, and treating said adorable alien as a threat (inhumanely at that). You got sad at the treatment of said alien by the uncaring government and cheered when the kids – with the power of friendship – were able to save the plucky alien and get him home.
Diehard Dungeon
It’s been a while since I’ve felt the pull of a dungeon crawler. Usually a hack and slash game gets boring to me, as you can farm areas for experience if it gets too hard and if you die, you’ll respawn with some of your gear a bit farther back. But Diehard Dungeon challenges that.
Zordon is racist
After writing elsewhere about the ‘modern update’ of the Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers, I found even more parodies. I mean thinking about it, have you always wondered why the color coordination? It’s not like you could not have told the group members apart by height, face, voice, name tags…?
Review: Comic Book Men - season 1
While strolling around my Netflix, I came across a show that I had missed during its run on television. It’s a geek-centric show called Comic Book Men, put together by Kevin Smith and featuring him and his friends as the “stars”. I put stars in quotes because the whole series is basically a bargain-hunter program but instead of the antiques and crap in the attic that they try to sell on other shows, this one revolves around nerd-items such as comic books, toys, artwork and the like. It all takes place at Smith’s shop in New Jersey, though he is present only for the round-table sit-downs they shoot to act as buffers between the show’s various sales.
The entire thing is only six episodes long, with each episode timing in at about 45 minutes. This year was the first season and from what I understand they’re going to be doing another. Personally, I think one season was enough for me. It’s not that the show was completely uninteresting, it’s just that once you’ve seen a bargain-hunting show, you’ve pretty much seen them all, minus the cast changes.
I had fun seeing what kinds of geek-stuff would be bought and sold, mainly because I’m a collector myself, but the actual act of watching them barter over the prices tuned me out. The characters are interesting to some degree, but most of them are kind of unlikeable and so there’s no additional reason to tune in each week. I enjoyed the nerd humor and some of the interactions, but again, it was little islands of fun in a sea of mediocre. After the first two or three episodes, the repetition sets in and each one seems very much the same as the others but with different things up for sale.
Of course, the sales are the primary element of the show, so people who enjoy watching other people haggle over prices may get a kick out of it. Me, I just wanted them to parade the items in front of me so I could “Ooo!” and “Aahh!” and be jealous. Otherwise, it seems like a dozen other shows on the air, just being sold to a different crowd.
Adrere Amellal Desert Ecolodge
The Adrere Amellal Desert Ecolodge is located at the edge of the Great Sand Sea, approximately eight hours from the city of Cairo and the nearest airport. Its isolated location, despite being a hindrance to getting there, is one of the highlights of the lodge and the reason that many famous people have come here time and again to enjoy the peace and solitude.
There are around 40 rooms at the lodge and the buildings are all made up of mud and rock salt. They are designed by locals in the indigenous style and their interiors are decorated with locally crafted furniture, art and rugs. A spring-fed pool set among palms and olive groves tops-off the experience and gives Adrere Amellal the ambiance of something from out of the past. The food at the lodge is made from all locally produced ingredients and is comprised of regional Egyptian recipes.
In addition to the solitude, there is plenty to do while staying at the lodge. Jeep treks into the desert,
horseback riding, dune surfing and checking out some of the ancient historic sites in the area are just a few things to keep one occupied. One can also take a trip to the nearby hundreds-of-years-old village of Siwa and experience some local culture.
Adrere Amellal focuses on being both pristine and eco-friendly while retaining some degree of luxury. There is, however, no electricity at the lodge. Instead, rooms are lit at night by candles and oil lamps, coal braziers are used for heating during the winter and the paths around the lodge are lit by torches.
The one thing that might discourage you from visiting this amazing lodge is the price. The rooms run about $400-$500 per night, but at least it’s all-inclusive, so food, drinks and whatever activities you want to do are effectively free. If you can afford to pay, Adrere Amellal is a spectacular, isolated lodge where you can relax and shed the stress of the “real world.”
Featured Artist: Peter Nguyen
Nguyen’s style is sort of a mix of Philip Tan, Olivier Coipel, and Dustin Nguyen. His work has a great sense of flow and action, which isn’t surprising considering his work in animation. His colored work also really pops off the pages. Check out more of his art at his blogspot.
Profile: Jose Vega
- Full Name – Jose Antonio Rodriguez Vega
- Nickname – The Old Lady Killer
- Born – December 3, 1957
- Location of Activity – Santander, Spain
- Years of Activity – 1987-1988
- Number of Kills – 16+
- Date of Death – October 24, 2002
- Cause of Death – Stabbed
Born in Santander, Spain, Jose Vega is a person that turned bad very quickly and never made any attempts to get any better. He began his criminal career with multiple rapes until he was finally caught and thrown in prison. He was released in 1986 after serving just a small fraction of his original sentence. While in prison, his wife at the time divorced him, but when he got out he remarried. This time his wife was a mentally disabled woman that Vega would torture and humiliate. At the same time, he made sure to put on an amiable public persona and most thought him to be a good person.
It wasn’t long before Vega returned to his twisted habits, though this time he added murder to the list. He would find elderly women and watch them, figuring out their usual routines. He would then approach them and try to gain their confidence, working his way into their lives by helping them out. Once he had gained access to their houses, he would make his move.
All of Vega’s victims were between the ages of 61 and 93. He would kill them, usually by suffocation and then rape the bodies. Afterwards, he would arrange the remains so as to make it look like his victims had died of natural causes. Most of the women were believed to have died this way until the truth about Vega was revealed.
Following an investigation, Vega was arrested, after which he confessed to the murders. Upon finding his “trophy” room, police were able to identify items from the many deceased women’s houses, connecting Vega to the rest of the crimes. After his conviction, Vega spent 10 years in prison before finally being stabbed to death by some other inmates.
Ninja New York
Ninjas are always fun and they’re even more entertaining when you get to interact with them while enjoying a meal at a nice restaurant. One entrepreneur in New York decided to hijack an idea that has already been done in Japan and bring a ninja-themed restaurant to the U.S. It’s called Ninja New York and it’s more than 6000 square feet made up to look like tunnels, dining nooks, caves and other ninja-friendly locations.
The servers are, of course, all dressed up in ninja garb. But they aren’t just idly pretending to be ninjas while making sure to get your food to you on time. Each person who works there has to undergo a special “ninja server training course” where they learn skills such as tumbling and magic tricks. They use these skills to deepen the atmosphere and heighten the enjoyment of this novelty eatery.
The first thing that happens when you enter Ninja New York is you are given a choice of paths to take to get to your table. One is straight-forward, for people in a rush to get something into their bellies. The other is a tour through the restaurant-complex that brings you through tunnels and over a drawbridge before arriving. Each table is separated into a nook that is shut off via latticed doorways.
The food is traditional Japanese, of course, with some other, more exotic things thrown in. There are strange house specialties that mix regional foods into blatantly American concoctions as well as some basic fare for those that have come to Ninja New York for the atmosphere and not because they like Japanese food. All the dishes are put together to look showy in a ninja-esque way and are named according to the restaurant’s theme.
The restaurant can be a little bit pricey, running about $30 a head without desert or drinks, but what you’re really paying for here is the atmosphere and the show. If you want a truly unique dining experience, check out Ninja New York. It’s a pretty popular place, so make sure to put your reservations in at least a couple of weeks ahead of time or you just may be out of luck.
Kasbah du Toubkal
The Kasbah du Toubkal is a unique and isolated hotel located in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco, south of Marrakech. It derives its name from the nearby Mt. Toubkal, the highest mountain in all of North Africa. Once a traditional Kasbah, owned by a ruling family, it has since been restored and turned into a hotel for people looking to get away from it all while still enjoying a modest and comfortable stay.
The Kasbah sits upon a mountain outcrop and commands a beautiful view of the surrounding landscape. On three sides lay the valleys and the snow-capped peaks of the Atlas Mountains rest behind the Kasbah. Great views can be found in both the public areas and from each room of the hotel.
There are only 17 rooms total at the Kasbah, but for those that want a cheaper stay, there are also some owned by the Kasbah in the nearby village. Rooms are available for singles or groups and there are even some dorm-like rooms for those travelling on a stricter budget. It is also known for its great service, brought by a friendly staff composed mostly of locals.
The restaurant at the Kasbah serves simple, traditional Moroccan food and while it does not pretend to be the classiest of eateries, it is certainly authentic. Unfortunately for drinkers, there is no bar at the Kasbah or anywhere nearby, as is the tradition of the region. If you want to have a drink, you’ll have to buy it in Marrakech and pack it with you.
You have to hike up a trail in order to reach the Kasbah, but it’s well worth the energy spent. From this unique accommodation, one can hike in the Atlas Mountains, explore the valleys or just relax in a quiet environment. The Kasbah also happens to be a sustainable hotel and devotes a portion of their profits to help the local village with much-needed services. If you’re looking for a place to stay in a remote location but don’t want the artificial feeling of staying in a luxury hotel, the Kasbah du Toubkal is the place to go.